Chuck Norris' Family-Friendly Flop: Sidekicks

0:00On April 26th, Chuck Norris built his fame on brutal 80s action movies, chomping rats and blasting bad guys, but deep down he dreamed of. Kid Friendly Fun His big swing was the 1992 Flick Sidekicks, a karate kid knockoff where teen Barry Cabrowski learns martial arts to beat bullies, with Norris playing himself as the ultimate mentor. Earlier this week, digging into Hollywood flops reminded me how Norris tried this family pivot before. After his action star shine faded in the early 90s, he teamed up with Houston Furniture King Jim mattress Mac McKingvale, who bankrolled the $8-10 million budget. In return, Norris plug mattresses and pushed anti-drug messages. Fans and critics weren't feeling it though. The cast had young Jonathan Brandis, bull bridges as the sad dad, Mako as the wise teacher, even Danica McCleller from Wonder Years. Joe Piscopo played the sleazy rival coach. Roger Eber gave it two stars, calling it sweet

1:00but predictable, while kids got lectures instead of thrills. Norris had bombed before with his cartoon Karate Commandos, a GI Joe ripoff that five episodes couldn't save. Sidekicks doubled down on the formula, wasting talent on cheesy fights and moralizing that made viewers cringe. In the end, Norris stuck to what he knew best, leaving Sidekicks as a quirky footnote in his legend, proving even roundhouse kicks can't fix a forced. Family vibe. I'm Cory with the story. That's your entertainment and celebrity news today update. AI powered and always trending.